Machine for making lamp-bases.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

N. MARSHALL.

MACHINE FOR MAKING LAMP BASES.

APPLICATION FILED HOV. 9,1906.

3 SHEII'IB-SHEBT 1.

PATENTBD JUNE 11, 1907.

. N. MARSHALL.

MACHINE FOR MAKING LAMP BASES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9,1906.

3 SHEETSSHIIET 2.

No. 856,974. PATENTBD JUNE 11, 1907.

N. MARSHALL.

MACHINE FOR MAKING LAMP BASES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9,1906.

3 BHEETSBHEET 3.

NORMAN MARSHALIZ, OF'N WTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR MAKING LAMP-BASES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1 1, 1907.

Application filed November 9, 1906- Serial No. 342,824.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN MARSHALL, a citizen of the Umted States,.and a resident of Newton, Massachusetts, Middlesex county,.

have invented certain new and useful Im- Erovements in Machines for Making Lampases, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to machines for manufacturing-bases for incandescent lamps in which the outer shell and center terminal or contact are united by a web of glass or other fusible insulating material,

It is the urpose of the invention to provide a simp e and efficient mechanism for antomatically feeding and introducing the outer shells into the molds or receptacles in which the molding or shaping of the insulating material of the'base is effected.

The various features of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description of the mechanisms in which I have embodied them and will be set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure l is an elevation of so much of a lamp base making machine as is necessary to an understanding of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail showing the construction of mold and the manner of supplying molten glass or other insulating material thereto. Fig. 3 is a plan view showin the mold carrier and operating mechanism t erefor and the mechanism for feeding the shells to the molds, the glass furnace and molding mechanism being omitted for the sake of clearness. Fig. 4 is a plan view of. the hopper for the base shells. Fig. 5 is an elevation showing the devices at the lower end of the feed chute for the shells. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the end of the feed chute. ig. 7 is a vertical sectional view showing the devices for transferring the shells from the end of the feed chute to the molds. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view through the feed chute for the shells. Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing the metallic shell for the lamp base; and Fig. 10 is a view showing the center contact for the lamp base.

In the machine shown in the drawings a series of molds or receptacles A shaped to receive the outer shell and center contact of the lamp base and to hold them in proper relation to each other, are mounted upon a rotary carrier A and by the movement of this carrier each mold is brought into position to receive the center contact, then into position to receive the outer shell, then into position beneath the discharge outlet from the glass furnace, then into )osition beneath the molding devices, and finally into position where the completed base is removed from the mold.

The rotary carrier A may be iven the pro er intermittent movements to ring the mo ds successively into position for the various operations, by any suitable operating mechanism, and in the construction shown is'given such movements by means of a crank pin A carried by a constantly rotating shaft and arranged to engage radial slots A formed in a disk which is securedto the shaft A upon which the carrier is mounted. The shaft A to which the crank pin A is secured is also provided with a segmental locking disk A which cooperates with segmental locking surfaces A formed on the slotted disk, the engagement of the segmental disk A and suraces A acting to lock the mold carrier in position between successive movements.

The molds may be of any suitable construction and are conveniently constructed as shown in Fig. 2. As shown in this figure the mold consists of a cylindrical tube a. se-

cured to the carrier A, the tube bein of pro er size to receive the metallic outer s ell of t e lamp base and forming the outer walls of the mold. The bottom of the mold is formed by the upper end of a plunger a which is recessed at a to receive the center contact and retain it in proper position and is also recessed at a, to receive the lower end of the shell. The plunger a is provided with a flange a and is held in normal position by means of a s ring 0, introduced between the flange warid the fixed plate a which carries the tube a. The plunger (1 is supported against the tension of the spring by engagement with a bar a extending across the opening in the carrier A within which the plunger is mounted, and the plunger is guided upon a fixed stud a secured to the carrier (1 and extending up within the plunger. With this construction the plunger 0, acts to support the parts during the forming of the base and may then be raised against the tension of the spring to eject the finished base from the mold.

The center contacts for the bases are of the form shown in Fig. 10 and consist of a thin disk 5 having a hollow stem 4 which is provided with an outwardly flaring upper LAO end. The contacts may be introduced into the recesses a of the receptacles as. they come successively into convenient position for such operation either by an operator or by automatic mechanism not shown.

The molds or receptacles are carried by the carrier A from the position where they receive the center contacts to position where the metallic shells are. automatically introd-uced. In the form of base which themachine being described is designed to manufacture these shells consist of thin brass cylinders corrugated to form screw threads and provided with a curved inwardly projecting flange 2 at their lower ends.

The shells are delivered into position to be introduced into the molds by a feed chute C beneath the lower end of which the molds are successively brought by the movements of the carrier. The shells are supplied to the feed chute C from an inclined hopper C arranged at the upper end of the inclined chute and provided around the lower edge of its periphery with a series of openings so shaped that the shells may pass through the openings, provided they register therewith in proper relation, that is to say with the curved lower end of the shell resting against the bottom of the hopper. The bottom of the hopperis stationary, while the cylindrical part of the hopper within which the recesses C are formed is constantly rotated by means of a belt C passing about the outer periphery of the hopper. As the hopper revolves the shells within the hopper are agitated: and carried up to a greater or less extent by frictional engagement with the walls of the hopper and certain of the shells will properly register with the openings C and pass through said openings as the hopper revolves. These shells will pass into the upper end of the feed chute and slide down said chute, forming a series of shells extending to the lower end of the chute, the end shell of the series resting against av fixed stop C at the end of the chute.

The lower edge of the hopper is surrounded by an upwardly projecting flange C which extends about the greater portion of the hop er and prevents theescape of the shells t rough the openings C At that portion of the hopper which is adjacent to the upper end of the feed chute and which is traveling upward from the lower edge of the hopper, the flange C is arranged at a distance from the eriphery of the hopper sufficient to allow t e assage of the shells through the openings 2 as mdicated in Fig. 4. As the openings C in the lower edge of the ho per pass opposite this part of the flange any shells which may have entered the openings slide downward through the openings into the guideway C formed between the flange C and the outer periphery of the ho per, and slide down this guideway into t e upper end of the feed chute C. In order to avoid injury to the shells in case they are carried up between the flange andthe traveling periphery of the hop er, or in case they pass but partiall throng the opening C the upper art 0 the flange G which extends inwar toward the periphery of the hopper at the upper end of the guideway (1, is made yielding. In the form shown this portion of the flange (1 is formed of spring metal which curves inward from the rigid part of the flange G which forms the outer wall of the guideway C and forms a yielding cam surface for forcing the shells which have passed but partially through the openings back into the openings as they pass upward toward the upper part of the hopper.

'Thefeed chute C is so arranged that the shell which is in position against the fixed sto (J is directly above one of the molds A uring the interval between the successive movements of the mold. When in this position the shell is supported by two spring mgers C and is directly beneath a vertically reciprocating plunger C the downward movement of which carries the shell from the end of the feed chute down into the mold, the spring fingers C yielding to accommodate the downward'movement of the shell and assisting in maintaining the shell in proper alinement with the moldv The lower end of the plunger C is shaped to enter the shell and is alsorecessed to embrace the stem 4 of the center contact as the plunger completes its downward movement. The lunger is mounted in the head C carried by the bracket B and its upper end is bifurcated to receive a cam C secured to the shaftB. The plunger carries the roll C which is held in engagement with the cam by means of spring 0 and the plunger is slotted at C for the passage of the cam shaft. The plunger C is advanced and retracted during the interval between successive movements of the mold carrier.

After the center contact and shell have been introduced and positioned in the mold as above described the mold is brought by the continued advance movements of the mold carrier, into position below the discharge orifice E of the glass furnace E as indicated in Fig. 2, and the movements of the mold carrier are so timed with relation to.the discharge of glass from the furnace that the proper amount of glass is delivered to themold during the time that it remains beneath the discharge orifice. After the glass has thus been supplied to the mold, the mold is brought by the movement of the mold carrier, into position below the molding plunger F and stripping plate F; The molding plunger and stripping plate are carried upon two reciprocating rods F F which are operated at proper intervals by suitable mechanism not shown.

- carry it downward After the molding has been performed and the stripping plate and molding plunger returned .to normal position, the mold is advanced and is brought by the movement of the mold carrier into osition above the ejector pins G, indicate in Fig.- 1. These pins are reciprocated at proper intervals by mechanism not shown and as they rise they pass up onopposite sides of the bar a and act against the flange a to force the plungera of the mold upward against the tenslon of the spring a thus forcing the completed base up out of the mold where it'may be knocked off of the upper end of the plunger by an air blast or in any suitable manner.

Without attempting to set forth in detail the various modifications and changes which may be made in the mechanisms Without departing from my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1.. A machine for making lamp bases having in combination a receptacle for the base parts, a feed chute for the shells having its delivery end arranged to register with the receptacle, yieldingly mounted supports at the delivery end of the feed chute, a reciprocating plunger for transferring the shells from the supports to the receptacle, means for supplying an insulating compound to the receptacle, and means for shaping the compound.

2. A machine for making lamp bases having in combination, a receptacle for the base parts, a feed chute for the shells having its delivery end arranged to register with the receptacle, supporting fingers arranged at the delivery end of the feed chute, a reciprocating plunger shaped to enter the shell, and

ast the sup orting fingers, means for supp ying an insu ating compound to the receptacle, and mechanism for shaping the com ound.

3. A machine or making lamp bases having in combination a rotary hopper mounted upon an inclined axis, a series of openings in the lower edge of the hop er corresponding in shape to the shape of t 1e shells, a guideway into which said openings deliver, and a feed chute forming a. continuation of the guideway.

4. A machine for making lamp bases having in combination a rotary hopper mounted upon an inclined axis, a series of openings in the lower ed e of the hopper corresponding in shape to t e shells, a guideway partially surrounding the hopper into which said openings deliver and provided with a wall w rich approaches the periphery of the ho per and acts as a cam surface for forcing t e shells back into the recesses as they pass up the guideway.

5. A machine for making lamp bases having in combination a rotary inclined hopper, a series of openings in the lower ed e of the hopper corresponding in shape to t e shape of the shells, a guideway partial] y surrounding the hopper into Whic the openings'deliver, a yielding wall for the guideway which approaches the periphery of the hopper and acts as a yielding cam surface for forcing the shells into the openings as they pass up the guideway.

6. A machine for making lamp bases having in combination a receptacle for the base parts, a feed chute for the shells having its delivery end arran ed to register with the receptacle, yielding y mounted supports at the delivery end of the feed chute, and a reci rocatin plunger for transferring the shells from the supports to the receptacle.

7. A machine for making lamp bases having in combination a receptacle for the base parts, a feed chute for the shells ha ring its delivery end arranged to register with the. receptacle, supporting fingers arranged at the delivery end of the feed chute, and a reciprocating plunger shaped to enter the shell and carry it downward past the supporting fingers.

8. A machine for making lamp bases having in combination a receptacle for the base parts provided with a recess for the center contact and a seat for the shell, a feed chute for the shells havin its delivery end arranged to register with the receptacle, yieldingl mounted supports at the delivery end of t e feed chute, and a reciprocating plunger for transferring the shells from the support to the receptacle.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 7th day of November, 1906.

NORMAN l\ lAl{SllALL. 

